MoCo's Voice

Today, the Montgomery Herald published an editorial about last Friday's school board meeting. In it, they called me by name and described me as someone who rallies people "sometimes by lying, sometimes by insinuating falsehoods." They said I was "purporting the issue at hand as being a racial issue" and implied it was not. They described my presence at the meeting as disruptive and suggested I should have been removed.

I want to respond, not because I am hurt, but because the community deserves the facts the Herald chose not to print.

What the Herald Said

The editorial stated that I "rallied those in attendance, sometimes by lying, sometimes by insinuating falsehoods and most often by purporting the issue at hand as being a racial issue. It was not."

It also described me as someone who "continued her rant" and suggested that "not all in the room were in agreement with Allgood." It called the situation "out of control" and implied the problem was the community's reaction, not the board's decision.

The Herald's news article, written by Tammy Dunn, confirmed the vote was 4-2 to accept Dr. Roseboro's resignation agreement, and that Wade Auman was named interim superintendent.

What the Herald Did Not Print

The Herald did not mention a single one of the following facts:

1. Dr. Jack Cagle holds a valid superintendent's license and was passed over.

Dr. Jack Cagle is the Associate Superintendent for Administrative Services at Montgomery County Schools. He has worked for this district for years. He holds a valid superintendent's license. He did not need a resolution. He did not need a workaround. He was qualified, licensed, and already in the building.

The board chose Wade Auman instead, a man who required a special board resolution just to meet the minimum legal threshold under NC General Statute § 115C-271. The Herald did not mention Dr. Cagle's name. Not once.

2. The only two "No" votes were the only two Black board members.

The Herald confirmed the vote breakdown: Epps, Dozier, Robledo, Evans, and Blake voted yes. Cindy Taylor and Angela Smith voted no. Cindy Taylor and Angela Smith are the only two Black members on the board. The Herald printed those names without noting that fact. I am noting it now.

3. An incident occurred after the meeting involving Bryan Dozier.

After the meeting concluded, an incident occurred involving Bryan Dozier. I filed a complaint with the magistrate. A criminal summons was issued. That matter is now before the courts, and I will have more to say about it when the time is right.

4. Bryan Dozier sent his own son to a charter school while governing MCS.

While serving on the Montgomery County Board of Education, the body that governs the schools he claims to care about, Bryan Dozier sent his own son to attend a charter school for high school. That is a fact. The Herald did not mention it.

On the Accusation That I Am Lying

The Herald says I am lying about race. Here is what I am saying about race:

The board passed over a licensed Black administrator to install an unlicensed white one. The only two people who voted no were the only two Black board members. A Black superintendent was pushed out after less than a year on a four-year contract. A community advocate who happens to be a Black woman, and the first Black female mayor of Troy, NC, was dismissed and described as "ranting" for exercising her First Amendment right to speak at a public meeting.

I am not saying those facts add up to racism. I am saying those facts exist, they are documented, and they deserve an honest conversation. The Herald's response to that conversation is to call me a liar in their editorial.

That tells you something. Not about me. About them.

A Note on the Montgomery Herald

The Herald is published by Womack Publishing Co., Inc. It has covered Montgomery County for over 140 years. It is also the same paper that has consistently amplified the voices of those who oppose accountability in this district, has published opinion pieces attacking Black leaders in this county, and has now published an editorial calling me, by name, a liar.

MoCo's Voice has previously documented the Herald's role in this community's accountability crisis. That documentation stands. Today's editorial confirms it.

What I Am Asking

I am not asking the Herald to agree with me. I am asking the community to read both their editorial and this response, and decide for themselves who is telling the truth.

The facts are public record. The vote is public record. Dr. Cagle's credentials are public record. The statute is public record.

Read them. Then decide.

Sherri Harris Allgood is the founder of MoCo's Voice and the former mayor of Troy, NC (2018–2020), the first Black female to hold that office.